Petal Dust
by Tijopi11
Summary: An adventurous mature story that entails elements of tragedy, angst and grief with wisps of romance, comedy and action. Writing this story, I wanted to include the harsh realities of life, the effects of sadness on the mind and the spiritial uplifting when one is faced with a life-changing effect be it for bad or for worse while still keeping within the pokemon range. Enjoy reading
1. Chapter 1

Silver surveyed the pitiful collection of berries. There was the Nanab berries, which were virtually useless, accept to fill one's belly when food was scarce. There was an abundance of Oran berries, but most of them had been there for at least a week. Their once vibrant royal blue skin, fuzzed and leathery once, had begun to stretch and scrunch together, signaling the aging of the fruit. There was one lonesome Aspear berry left, but like the Oran berries it too was quickly losing its drive to live. Silver twitched his ear in annoyance, realizing he would need to stock up for winter. "You were right," he muttered, "we really are low on fruit." The meowth resting in a nest behind him nodded her head, tail twitching. "I only told you a thousand times, and now if you don't hurry they'll all be snatched up by everyone else." Silver realized he and his mate, Nisa, weren't the only Pokémon interested in stocking up on the precious fruit. Winter was creeping just around the corner, ready to drop its flurry of feathered snowflakes on every tree branch and every frozen leaf that it could. "I don't understand why we need to get berries anyway; we can survive the winter perfectly fine without them." Nisa gave another irritable twitch of her tail. "We have kittens remember? Kanto kittens, that means they'll be prone to frostbite much more than you and I will be. Aspear berries will prevent hyperthermia and colds, if we can find them," she meowed impatiently. Silver sighed and nodded, giving him. There was no use in grumbling or complaining to his mate. "Want to share an Oran berry with me?" he offered. His mate had been irritable lately, but Silver knew it was just because she was fretting over the new kittens that would be coming. Although they planned to have children at some point, they hadn't meant for it to happen right when winter was coming. "Alright," she breathed, "I need to keep my strength up anyway." Nisa got up, here belly bulged with an expecting kitten, and padded over to lay next to Silver. She took the first bite of the juicy fruit, with Silver following and enjoying the tart slightly sweet taste of the berry.

They'd just about finished the berry when a sharp beep sounded not too far in the distance. The beep was unfortunately familiar; nonetheless both Silver and Nala had nearly been frightened out of their pelts. "Boy, that never gets old, does it!" Nisa growled in exasperation. Silver looked up miserably and nodded in agreement, wherever that noise was coming from was beyond him. "It rained last night," he noted above the noise. "I'll go get the rainwater before the weather freezes it." Nisa nodded, "good idea, afterwards you should go and try to find more Aspear berries!" Silver nodded and scrambled towards the exit of their den with the burning sound of the beeping still shaking his eardrums. He popped his head out from just under an Ash tree and scoped his surroundings before latching his teeth around a leaf filed with rain water. Before taking in the rocking shaky bundle, he gingerly binded the ends of the leaf together and prepared to go back inside his den when he heard a scuffling noise. Meowths were hunters, rarely preyed upon by others. Although somewhere in the back of his mind, Silver was aware of those that hunted him. Creeping back with the weight of a single feather in his paws, he slowly backed back into his den and glared out into the branches. Instead of a crazed Pokémon, a creature stepped one delicate paw out instead, cradling a type of fruit in its mouth. Silver blinked. He'd never seen it before, was it some sort of Pokémon? Well of course, it had to be, but what type of Pokémon was that? It dropped it to the ground upon realizing the lack of danger in the air. It's body was noticeably fluffed with an aspen grey that feathered into a charcoal color at the tips of its ears and paws. The faintest hint of auburn peppered the scruff of the creature, with some white hues scattered throughout the hairs on its pelt. It's nose twitched ever so often, causing its white whiskers to dusk the soil on the ground as it did. Its eyes were a mix of fawn and raw umber color. It was clear that the creature was lithe, thin and energetic and possessed athletic energy in its powerful hind legs. Then it dawned on him, he wasn't looking at a Pokémon at all, he was looking at an animal. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the name, it was either a rabbit or a hare.

But what was an animal doing here? They were incredibly rare and for most, a once in a lifetime opportunity. He sketched backwards and tried to remember what little he knew, and came to understand that animals were considered mainly extinct accept fish which even then were extremely rare delicacies for the rich to have as pets. The rabbit or hare glanced up and looked art him directly in the eye, twitched its nose, and then lay down in a relaxed position. Silver suddenly noticed what the rabbit had at its paws, that being no other than an Aspear berry. He gritted his teeth; of course it had to be an Aspear berry! And probably the last one at that. Even so, silver didn't forget the magic of meeting such a rare creature before slinking back into his den.

"You'll never guess what I just saw!" Silver purred luxuriously, sitting the leaf of water next to the collection of berries. "As Aspear berry?" Nisa replied sarcastically. "Nope, a rabbit!" "A what?" "An animal, you know, those things that used to live a long time ago, like fish and stuff. I met one of them, and it was a rabbit type." Nisa nodded, but still looked confused. "Did you get any Aspear berries?" Silver felt a little annoyed, can't she enjoy the little things in life? "No, it was eating one though." Nisa grumbled under her breathe, "probably the last one I bet. Can't you see if you can find any more?" Silver nodded, feeling a tad dishearted but swallowing it down as he left the den. As expected, the rabbit was still perched in a bundle of fur, its muscles relaxed and resting. Silver crept forward, looking at the rabbit closely. He licked his jaws and flexed his muscles. If he could catch it, than Nisa would be interested then provided he also brought back Aspear berries. He knew she must have been at least a little curious, at least for what it tasted like. Placing feather-light paws in front of him, Silver slowly crept closer to the unsuspecting animal. With less than a few strides left before the final death-delivering pounce, the rabbit suddenly perked its ears and made a wild dash in the opposite direction. Blinking in confusion, Silver set off in an awkward chase. If he couldn't catch it, at least he could figure out where it lived or if it had a den at all. Then an odd scent tickled his sense of smell. _Blood? _He thought warily. He was certain he could scent the metallic rotten tang of blood in the air, but where would that be coming from?

Ears erect and tail barely an inch above the ground, Silver inched forward and peered behind a bush blocking his view. His heart nearly stopped cold in his chest. It was a houndoom, but the creatures as he remembered were normally well-fed and strong carnivores. This one, Silver noticed, seemed sick and disoriented. It's fur, which were normally jet slack and sleek, where ragged and unkempt. It's eyes seemed distant and glazed, showing a lack of health in them and hiding something dark in their depths. It's pelt was stretched across bony thin ribs, and it's pegs seemed nothing but a long bone with a fragile skin wrapping around them. Most noticeably, Silver realized, was the stench of blood around the muzzle of the houndoom. Cold blood, stale of age, stained its paws and speckled it's bony shackles around its ankles. A shiver of shrill terror dumped down Silver's spine, what in the world was wrong with this houndoom?

Before the question could be answered, the houndoom threw its neck back and howled a bark of frenzy. It stood up with old bones shaking to bear its own weight, and shrank down to vomit. Silver had to take a leap back at the sudden action. If Silver wasn't in terror now, he didn't know what else could phase him. The vomit, he realized, was moving. Living… he blinked. It had maggots in it. The houndoom was clearly sick, and poised to do much more than it already had. It was ready to kill the first thing it had in sight. With his tail floating in the breeze behind him, Silver fled with the hot pump of muscle behind him. The houndoom had already given chase.


	2. Chapter 2

With tiny paws hitting the ground in sharp energetic pumps, and with another pair of rough heated pads gracing the ground behind him, Silver fled through the forest with the houndoom chasing shortly behind. Although Silver was quicker and agile, terror had already made his paws numb and had quickly weakened the power behind his stride. Focusing his eyes clearer, Silver noticed a flash of ash grey and a puffy tail in front of him. Knowledge struck him like an Arcanine's teeth into his neck. The houndoom wasn't after him, it was after the rabbit. _But if I stopped, would the houndoom be so involved in the chase that it would attack me? _He kept his pace, not willing to give the second option a chance. Fast and nimble in its step, the Rabbit had ducked under a fence leading to a sandy and dusty clearing beyond. With power building in his hind paws, Silver made a leap over the fence, gripping slippery paws over a piece of finely-shaved wood. With a last push of effort, Silver managed to spring off the fence and onto the other side. Exhaustion scratching at his muscles, Silver made a last bound to huddle behind a bush. He wasn't going to stand around waiting for his fur to get ripped off until he knew he was completely safe. Wrapping his tail around his paws, Silver let a last shudder ripple through his fur before his heart began to slow back to its normal pace. What in the world was wrong with that houndoom? A quiver of empathy nipped his pelt. Why did it vomit such terrible things? What happened?

Before any more thoughts could enter his mind, a squeal of agony erupted behind the bush. Silver wrapped his tail tighter around his paws and felt the shivers of fear begin to creep back into his fur. Slowly placing paws in front of him, he glanced behind the thick scratchy leaves of the bush. The houndoom had managed to get its teeth on the rabbit, just before it was able to make its final dash into safety. The houndooms teeth strengthened, causing the rabbit to make one last squeal before it was cut off from loss of breathe. Blood had begun to sting down its pelt, and once again Silver felt a stab of sympathy. He quickly turned back behind the cover of the bush and gave a lash of his curled tawny colored tail. This was no time to be feeling bad for other Pokémon. He needed to think about how HE was going to escape. With determination strengthening his paws, he began to make a light and careful pace towards the fence again.

"Coward," a fierce growl stopped him cold in his tracks. He pivoted his paws, facing his attacker with tensed muscles only to find an empty space of sand and weeds. A thud of four nimble paws landed behind him, causing Silver to whip back around. "Only the weak run!" she accused. His attacker, he realized, was a much stronger and healthier houndoom. Her eyes were vibrant and pulsated a burning crimson. Lean and exercised muscles rippled under her sleek jet black fur. Confidence and dominance sang from the way she posed, from the way she tranced in her step. She parted her lips to expose knife-like cornsilk canines, "you'll never survive here." Silver let yet another shudder ripple down his spine; her smirk was nothing less of malicious and ominous. "Out of my way! I'm not interested!" Silver growled, hoping his fear hadn't stuttered his words. "Peace, please. We aren't much different if you look past your ignorance. You thought you were done with life's hardships? Child, we are never free. Devils always walk the footsteps we leave behind in our lives, feeding off of our despair." She set her entrancing eyes deep into Silver's. "You look at me and see an enemy. But looks can be deceiving, can't they? Everyone is always saying the caged bird sings. Who's to say it isn't crying? Who's to say it doesn't spend it's nights weeping like a child separated from its mother, wondering why it would never have the free life that those birds it always saw in the window did. And we always thought it was singing because we were blind to the tears?"

Silver felt the need to run as fast as he could to the fence, out in the forest, back to his den, huddling in his nest again. Instead his feet remained seemingly glued to the ground. "Very philosophical," he meowed sarcastically. "Look, I have a mate, I have kittens. I'll do anything if you'd let me leave with what I came with, I really didn't mean to come in here. I'll leave food at the mouth of your home if you'd like, even during winter when a full belly is scarce-"he was cut off from his offer. "I do not belong with those other houndoom you saw earlier. I am not connected to this building, I am my own and that's all there is to it," she barked indignantly. "You believe too strongly in deception, would you allow me to treat you to both?" Silver cringed and took a kitten-sized step back. The houndoom was obviously not actually offering and if anything, was giving him a prod of humorous broken courtesy. "Well hun? I don't have all day," she growled with menacing teeth bared in the beginning of a snarl. "I have no choice," he meowed tartly, "I'll have to accept."

The houndoom gave another satisfied smirk, which seemed to be the default of her face when given no other emotion to express. "Smart you are, for a coward," she joked rudely before padding to the bushes. "Although adrenaline has a crazy way of banishing common sense. You may be a hero after all." Silver pelt the normal pang of guilt in his stomach. "I'm no hero. I've tried to be before, but trust me when I say I'm not meant to be any hero." A nod and flick of an arrow-shaped tail followed. "Patience," she replied, "and see what's beyond this bush." Silver felt suspicion brush his pelt the wrong way, but there was no backing out now. He knew if he even tried to set paw toward the fence, it would be met with teeth around his neck. With a spark of curiosity being just barely enough to drive him, he padded forward and rested his paws gingerly on the leaves of the bush, peering over. He had to blink a few times to realize there was now two houndooms on the other side, where the first one had managed to pin the rabbit down. The second was notably shorter with small, dull corns crowning her head. She seemed to be in a much healthier state with a skinny but well-fed body and sharpened claws ending each toe. Silver did notice, however, the way she bent her head and tail in a submissive awkward manner, and how she seemed to have a tired and disinterested expression behind ruby eyes.

"They grew in numbers," he remarked. "That they did," the she-houndoom beside him nodded with knowledge behind her words. "That one is the first one's lover." A sparkle shone in the mouth of the second houndoom, shocking Silver even further. "She has a master ball!" he gasped. A master ball, he recalled, was one of if not THE most valuable and rare Pokéball of all. "But why?" The houndoom next to him seemed to be growing impatient with his constant questions. "That rabbit is very important to them." Silver's mind buzzed with the electric pulse of questions, but before he could ask he was interrupted by a blinding light. It was a sheer Aureolin-golden yellow, like a healthy corn stalk, which made his eyes hurt from its sheer intensity. He had to bit back a sudden reaction which would end in his feet already halfway across the forest, but Silver didn't know what lay behind such intense light was going to be the most exciting thing he'd seen that day.

Replacing the rabbit under the strong paws of the ill houndoom lay an injured, rare Mew.


	3. Chapter 3

Date: 32 years ago.

John heaved a heavy sigh, his hearing angled at the old rusted clock ticking above his head. Once it hit 12:00 exactly, he would have to be on his way to the principal's office. Despair cradled his heart, a feeling he seemed used too. This wasn't the first time he would go to the office, and not the last_. It's not my fault_, he thought to himself grimly_, I just have a lot of pent up emotions that I can't keep under lock and key_. John had been sent to the office for another fight in class as of per usual. The bell soon rang, distracting his thoughts. Kids shot out of their classrooms, jabbering about their new pet Flaffy that their mom or dad had gotten them as a present, or how he or she had snuck a chocolate bar into their packed lunch today. John felt his heart crack open like a Pokémon egg, with all the contents inside gushing out and exposed to anything that wanted to take a peck at it. He so longed to be so carefree, but he knew his world was always set on a straight line that ended in flames. His feet guided him forward, his breath catching in his throat. If he could just manage to get to the principal's office then he would be free. He wouldn't have to confront Drake, and it wouldn't have to pay this time.

John crept across the hallway, blending into the pack of kids as he did so. Just a few more hallways and I'll be there. Then a voice cut him short. It was Drake of course, doing his usual rounds of bullying. This time, his victim was a little blond girl, her long hair tied back in a messy ponytail. Even though her stance was still and fearless, her face was blushed in embarrassment and it became clear she was trying to hold back a burst of tears that would confirm her weakness to her enemy. "So look," Drake grumbled slyly, his hands pinning her to the lockers with no means of a quick escape. "All you have to do is tell people we're going out, and if you can do that, I won't tell anybody that you buy from me." The girl was red with floods of shame and regret and guilt, making John feel a stab of sympathy for her. The girl's name was Georgia, and John recognized her as the girl with the highest grades and most strict manners. He hadn't realized or even considered that she would be buying from Drake as well. If her secret was given up, her parents would shred her alive. Dropping his backpack to the ground, John kept his ears and eyes peeled for any more noises as he fished through the contents of his bag. This was no time to try and play hero-from-across-the-hall. In his bag was a thick fuzzed jacket with an oversized hood perched around the hole where the head would go through. John quickly slipped the jacket over his head and placed the hood covering his face, finishing by kicking his backpack under the lockers making it hidden. Fear gripped him, but Drake was distracted with Georgia. If he could just walk casually undetected past them, he could walk straight to the office right under Drake's nose.

Although his spirit shook and his legs trembled, he walked into the cold breeze of the hallway and down the path. Drake wasn't fooled though; he had looked at him suspiciously which passed immediately to understanding and contempt. Releasing the girl to escape down the other end of the hallway, he reached out a menacing hand and drug John back by the hood of his jacket. Flailing from the sudden action, John stumbled and nearly fell on the floor, nevertheless falling to Drakes mercy. "There you are, I was beginning to get the idea that you transferred to a separate school to avoid me," he joked casually. "I'm guessing you don't have the money I wanted?" John felt bolted to the floor as reality crept into his brain; he hadn't paid for two weeks yet kept getting supplies anyway. Drake, of course, had cracked down on him and demanded payment. "No, I just don't have the money yet okay? But you'll get it; just give me a couple more weeks!" He begged, feeling his pride leak onto the floor like oil into an ocean. Drake looked skeptical, but seemed to shrug it off. "You're my best costumer, and you've been for over a year. I can't afford to not believe you, but you're really throwing me in a tough spot, you know that?" Drake grumbled. Fishing through his pocket, Drake pulled out a small bag filled with something white and powdery. Relief trickled through him; Drake was going to give him the cocaine anyway, despite being hundreds of dollars behind his payment. Grabbing it quickly, John tucked the bag in his back pocket and felt the heat of possible capture bare down on him. "Just get out of here, before we get caught," Drake growled before turning and walking quickly to the exit as if nothing had happened.

John felt his hands numb in the chill breeze of approaching winter. Even with the nip of frost at his reddened fingertips, he fished around in a box next to him and took out a handful of Pidgey food. Three or four Pidgeys were pecking at the ground; flapping their wings and cawing like the small pieces of corn and grain were destined to be their last meal. John wearily tossed the corn bits onto the frozen ground, where the Pidgey's seemed ready to kill in order to get the pieces of food. Guilt for buying more cocaine seeped into his chilled bones, causing him to stuff his numb hands into his fluffed jacket and huddle together in a small bundle of a broken boy. He was only thirteen years old, yet he felt like he had already made so many people ashamed of him. He looked to the sky, watching the last beams of honey-sweet sunshine wash across the land before ebbing into a sharp display of green, blue, red, orange and yellow hues. A blur of a different set of colors caught his eye though, distracting him from the sunset. The creature was densely fluffed with a piquant color arrangement of coffee brown fur with mint cream tipping its tail and styling its neck. It was an Eevee, and recognizably one of the rarest of non-legendary Pokémon. Its tiny paws were pounding across the stone-hard ground, its eyes lit with the excitement of rebellion in its auburn-colored irises. Cleary the Eevee was doing something it was forbidden to do, but to the mischievous little Pokémon, that was what brought the tang of adrenaline into its stride.

With a bark of defiance, the Eevee called its name into the dehydrated air and launched itself into the bundle of Pidgey's in front of John. The Eevee had been a hair's length away from landing its sharp claws into the birds back, but the Pidgey had been able to climb into flight just in time, despite losing a few tail feathers. Pivoting its body around, fur flying free in the crisp breeze, the Eevee bared its deep in a snarl that was more playful than threatening to the remaining Pidgey's. Spitting what John would assume to be some pretty hurtful curse words at the Eevee, the remaining Pidgey's abandoned their free food and wisped away without any intention to bring it into a battle. The Eevee was gleaming with pride in its achievement, lifting its chin tall and tail erect despite the wind sending ripples through its thick coat. Sending itself in a proud prance, a crackle sounded sickly under the Eevee's paw. It had stepped on a corn chip John realized, but the Eevee was clearly spooked and confused. Lifting its paw, the Eevee sniffed at its injured foot and notably lost all of its snobby pride from before.

"Eevee, Eevee where are you?" A voice suddenly called in the distance. The Eevee, although looking taken aback and ready to flee, clearly thought better of running while his foot was injured. Instead it made a long eerie squeal with the last three letters of its name, and waited for its owner to turn and find it. The one calling it was a girl who was the same age as him, John noticed, with a face showing worry for his lost Pokémon. Her hair was a dirty blond and cut perfectly just above her shoulders, held firmly in place by a small ivory-colored winter hat. Beside her rosy-red cheeks, flushed from the cold, her skin was fair and sported a touch of peaches and cream to it. She had a small button nose with bright scarlet lips, bangs to her eyebrows and eyes a soft spring bud green. Upon hearing her Eevee squeal its name, she turned with a face of relieved anxiety to see the Pokémon a few feet away. Once she had reached the bench where John was sitting, she knelt to her knees and hugged the Eevee with kindness in her touch. "There you are, are you hurt?" she murmured as she stroked the fur along the Eevee's back, soothing it. The Eevee nodded with a touch of sadness in her bark and held up her paw. "What happened?" she asked as if the Eevee could communicate back, but thankfully the problem was quite obvious. Small pieces of crushed corn lay on the ground for the Pidgeys, and a small piece of corn was clearly lodged in the Eevee's foot.

"It's just a scratch, it can shake it off," John mumbled under his breath. The girl looked up as if she never noticed he was there, and mumbled a shy thanks before returning her gaze back upon her Eevee. "You know," John grumbled, "what kind of a trainer loses their Eevee? They're rare, you're lucky someone like me didn't come up and take it." The girl got up and abruptly put her hand out for a shake. "I'm sorry if she caused you trouble, this is actually my neighbors Eevee. We're good friends, so I wanted to help him find it. My names Christine, call me Christy," she huffed. John hesitated for a moment before returning a handshake, "Johnny, call me John." Nodding, she sat down on the bench. "Wanna be friends?" She asked casually. John felt a little queasy. He didn't have friends, and really had no intention of making any. The girl- Christy- seemed too well-behaved to be hanging around someone like him. "Uh, sure I guess," he mumbled just above a whisper. The girl smiled, "here's my phone number." She quickly took out a piece of shredded paper with writing already on it, flipped it over and took a pen out of her trainer's backpack. John was a little taken aback by her perfect cursive, as opposed to his own sloppy handwriting. "Are you going to become a Pokémon trainer?" he asked as she jotted down the numbers. "I don't know," she confessed, "I want to be. But with every other kid and all my friends constantly talking about it with twice as much energy for it, I can't hardly find the hope that I'll ever make it out there." John nodded, surprised how far she was thinking ahead. "What about you?"

John shrugged, "I guess I feel the same way. My granddad fought in the military and my dad's really into that sort of thing too. He keeps bugging me about it; how he was going to get into the military if he could and said that it was a man's duty to serve his country if he ever hoped to find honor in himself. He talks about it like it's the best thing in the world. I don't think so but I don't want to let him down." Christy nodded, looking a little cautious. "I don't know your dad so I can't be sure, but I'm confident he won't blame you or consider you anything less if you don't follow exactly in his footsteps," she offered. "You should tell him you were born to make something of yourself on your own accord, and that you need to find your own path and what YOU consider to be the greatest honor. That's what really matters." John considered that piece of advice, but before he could reply he heard Christy get up from the bench and hand over the paper she was holding. "Call me if you ever need someone to talk to. I'm a great listener. Listen, I've got to return this Eevee, my neighbors must be worried sick. Same place, tomorrow, if you want?" John bit the bottom of his lip, and nodded tentatively, "tomorrow then. Same place, same time." The two slapped their hands together in a popular trainer's handshake- one which was considered a social convention after a hard battle to celebrate one's gracious win and the other's gracious defeat. "Deal," she gave one last smile before turning and walking off with one Eevee in tow.


	4. Chapter 4

*Silver's P.O.V*

Blood trickled down the Mew's thigh, turning her apricot fur into a warm auburn crimson.

Silver could smell its hot scent like a slash across his throat, although he did notice the distinct difference between the blood of his prey and the blood of a legendary Mew. The blood of the Mew had a sort of aftertaste in its scent, stinging his nose with an aroma almost twice that of any normal blood. The liquid life of the Mew almost smelt sweet, as if liquefied flower petals had ran through its veins instead of the fowl red liquid of other Pokémon. "I suppose this is it," the Mew gasped. "I suppose I'll miss this, the thrill of the chase I mean. How I used to always be one step ahead, but I got careless this time around." The mew sounded utterly defeated, and Silver could tell there wasn't only a wound on its leg, but across its broken heart. "But I won't go down like this, I refuse to be phased." If the houndooms were listening, they gave no sign that they were or even cared about the noble words of the warrior that stood in front of them. The she-houndoom stepped forward with the Master ball cradled in her mouth. "Legendaries live sheltered lives," the Mew went on boldly. "I would have preferred freedom over this outcome, any day, but that goal was an empty one. From the day of my birth, I was informed that I would always be hunted for, because I held the power that most could only dream of in my possession. We are pursued not for the determination in our spirits or the willingness to serve our leaders, we are hunted often brutally or mercilessly for someone else's gain." The Mew growled grimly, so that every word was filled with pure emotion. "I can take it with grace if I have too, although I must admit, there will always be shame in my heart for the rest of my days." Before anymore could be said, the she-houndoom stepped forward and pressed the master ball to the nose of the Mew. The deactivation device was immediately launched, and a dark electric light reached out to grab the crippled Mew and pull it into the containment unit of the master ball. Silver had to squint his eyes to make out the mew, now miniaturized, inside the ball. It seemed to have fallen like a true warrior, making no effort to try to escape an inevitable fate.

"They've got it," Silver whispered more to himself than the she-houndoom beside him, "that's incredible." Confusion gripped him, forcing his mind to spin in a tornado of questions. "But why? Why were they so desperate? Who are they working for?" The houndoom merely shrugged and rose to her paws, walking past him. "I suppose I know, but why spoil the fun?" Silver suppressed a stirring up rise of suspicion and agitation at the houndoom. It was so painfully obvious that she was planning something, yet she thought she had him completely fooled and under her control. He felt his pride melt like a block of ice in the pit of his stomach; she _did _have him under control. The houndoom let a spring follow her step as she made her way to a bunch of bushes growing to the side, which were helping in sheltering their eavesdropping. She craned her neck and gripped a round orb in her mouth, an evil smile crossing her lips. Silver felt a stab of sudden fear and suspicion course through him from ears to tail tip. She had been hiding it there, but what type of orb was it? And why was she showing it to him? "What's that?" she growled, not even trying to hide his immense suspicion. Her response didn't come in words, but in action. With a swift crashing down of one paw, she smashed the orb into a pile of glass and splinters. Silver blinked in surprise, he knew exactly what the orb was for, but he didn't expect her to be so cruelly open and obvious about her technique. Moments later he felt the strength in his arms and legs go limp, forcing him to crash to the ground. Any sort of muscle tone he had ever built all his life had left him, gone with the breeze that swept through the trees and bushes around him. Smoke arose from the paralysis powder and technology that had been crushed under paw, along with some glass fragments that had been splintered fine enough to be lifted with the breeze. "That was a paralysis orb," she mused with derision. "As the name implies, it puts those in the same room as the user, in this case around the bushes, in a paralysis state." Silver felt a growl rise in him, but he suppressed it. He knew it was coming all along, but he couldn't help but feel cut deep with anger at the pure satisfaction in her voice, as if she thought she'd completely fooled him. "I thought you weren't with the other houndoom," he growled. The houndoom looked suddenly menacing; Silver could feel the cold and dark blowing through her fur. She came within inches of his face, making Silver feel a faint slice of panic and foreboding that he didn't feel before. Was she going to kill him on the spot, or was she just taunting him, making sure he knew who was in power? "And I didn't lie," she hissed with venom behind her words.

Emerging from the thick cover of the trees lay a clearing free of any flora or fauna. Where there was once nutrient-rich soil, fed by the death and growth of a million trees before it, laid dehydrated sand and water-starved dust and grit. The most obvious and central point part of the view was the giant building in front of his eyes. It was painted with a thick coating of licorice black and extended more than twice as big as any Pokémon gym he'd ever seen. A much smaller building stood firmly across the clearing, much closer to him than the building was. To the right was an outdoor battlefield, but it seemed to be unused and mostly forgotten. The large expanse of sand between the smaller building and the bigger building seemed teaming with life and energy. Several men with either walking to and fro from the smaller building to the bigger, talking casually around the open or battling Pokémon fiercely. Silver wanted a moment to take it all in, but wasn't given a second to swallow as the houndoom pushed him forward. He was being held by the scruff by the houndoom, with the two other houndooms following with the Mew in the female's mouth.

Once they had crossed the sandy area and walked up near the door he was allowed to walk again, although the houndooms noticeably formed a tighter body shield around any means of escape, making running away impossible. "Sit," the she-houndoom from earlier ordered under her breath. Silver sat, what was the point of arguing? Instead he decided to take the moment to examine his surroundings more closely. There were a few battles going on, but they were obviously only practice battles judging by the way each Pokémon seemed to put little energy in their attacks and dodged most of the time. Silver had to admit though, for a practice battle the Pokémon battled with as much fierce precision and dedication to satisfy their trainers as any real battle would. He took notice of one particular battle between a Golduck and a Bulbasaur. The advantage was obviously to the grass type, however the Golduck seemed to be more at ease and quicker on its webbed feet than the Bulbasaur was prepared for. The Golduck began with the move Confusion at the word of its trainer, obviously trying not to take up time in trying to get closer right off the bat. The Bulbasaur was quick on its feet however, extending a Vine Whip attack of two in opposite directions. Wrapping its vines around the trees, it was able to keep itself grounded despite the force of the confusion attack. The Golduck seemed momentarily wary and taken aback, however its trainer didn't seem phased in the slightest. With a swift movement of his hand for emphasis, the trainer ordered his Golduck for a Water Pulse attack with extra power. The Golduck opened its beak-like mouth as tiny droplets of moisture began to cling together like magnets until it formed a ball of liquid. With physic power influencing it, the ball of liquid was sent whipping through the air directly toward the bulbasaur. The bulbasaur bunched its muscles and prepared a grand leap with all the power it could muster in its powerful hind legs, but the water pulse was too quick for it. With a direct attack, the Bulbasaur was sent flying with a yowl of protest escaping its gaping mouth. With its vines wrenched from the trees, the Golduck saw its opportunity in the open again. With a call of a scratch attack from its owner, the Golduck used the bulbasaur's dizzy state to charge in with a powerful physical attack. The opposing trainer, desperation flickering in his eyes before quickly changing back to blind determination, ordered a quick vine whip to counter. The Golduck was obviously not expecting such a quick counter attack, dodging the first few whips with agile long legs but falling victim to the next barrage of attacks. Stinging whips hit its thighs, causing it to stumble in its step. The Bulbasaur saw its own oppertunity and flashed a sleep powder while the Golduck had lost control of its balance. The trainer was quick to think of a plan. Using the Golduck's misstep to his own advantage, he ordered the Golduck to roll across his back and get back into a battle stance. With a quick screech of an attack for ice beam, liquid moisture began to form again at the Golduck's lips. This time, however, the moister was burned icy and cold and formed into a beam of super-chilled ice. The Bulbasaur bunched its muscles again to jump but was once again caught in the act, with ice gripping its hind leg. Overconfidence stinging in the opposing trainer's eyes, he quickly orders a close up attack- scratch. The Golduck had the light of a victorious battle in its eyes as it charged in, but the Bulbasaur was far from giving up. Using a surprise move- Take down- the Bulbasaur managed to crack the ice that was holding it prisoner. Using it once more, the move was given an extra burst of energy and hit the Golduck for a direct hit. The Golduck flew and rolled on its back, the breath being taken out of its chest by the blow. The Bulbasaur was preparing the next move before his trainer even had time to call it, vine whip, but the opposing trainer called it off and returned his Pokémon before any more damage could be done. Despite the defeat, the loser seemed honorable and satisfied with the battle as the two trainers discussed what went right and what went wrong.

Silver blinked, he hadn't seen a battle in so long that he had been completely enthralled in it. He longed to feel the power in his legs again, the blossoming victory in his heart after a win and a lesson to be taught after a loss. But with grief twittering in his heart, he knew he could never be useful like that, not in the state he was in. Reality washing over him again, he turned his attention to a less depressing view. There was…some sort of Pokémon a few feet away. A Pikachu? No, it was some other Pokémon in a Pikachu costume. The mysterious Pokémon turned a bit, so that her identity was a bit more exposed. It was a Meowth. A Meowth like him? No, this one wasn't imprisoned like he was; it was here on its own free will. He peered a little closer at it, feeling a bit more relieved to see someone of his own kind instead of houndooms in the area. He opened his mouth to see if he could pick up its scent, and found that she was a female. The she-meowth was preoccupied pawing at the ground and digging up some buried tattered roots. The scent was sharp and tangy with a lash of an aftertaste, making Silver believe he was scenting some sort of onion or something in the onion family. She turned and surprised him by looking directly at him, a couple of roots held in her jaws. As soon as she had looked up, the houndooms around him dropped their heads in a courteous manner and lowered their arrow-shaped tails so that they raked the dusty ground. Silver instantly understood that this meowth had some sort of dominance or power over the houndoom, possibly in charge of the pack. Copying the houndooms, Silver bowed his head although not quite as low as the houndoom, and let his tail rest a little lower. The she-meowth stepped forward and placed the roots in front of him without saying a word. Silver instinctively bent down and sniffed the roots, although regretting such a deep breath as the scent stung his throat and eyes. The she-meowth nodded and backed away, staring at him expectantly. "Eat them," one the houndooms whispered forcefully, although low enough so that the she-meowth wouldn't here. Bending his head over, Silver bit down the roots and swallowed, although the grit and sand crunched in his teeth and tasted awful. The roots left heat pulsing in his mouth, but otherwise the roots were almost tasteless. Gulping them down, Silver instantly felt the numbness in his legs ebb until the full strength had returned. "What were those?" he growl-whispered to the houndoom. "The roots of a Cheri berry," she muttered in a whisper, "just enough so you can walk after taking the full blast of that Paralysis orb." The she-meowth nodded with approval and without saying a word, walked to the front door of the building and nudged it open. With their tails still lowered and heads still bowed, the houndooms began to follow the she-meowth into the building. A fresh scent away from the newborn pine trees and sun-bathed wind shifted to slightly thicker and colder air, bustling with old and new scents that threatened to overwhelm his senses. Distracting himself from the shift, Silver turned and whispered "I thought you had nothing to do with this place! How did she know about my paralysis?" The houndoom spoke a little more clearly; Silver guessed she had a little more control over how much she could speak to prisoners once in the building. "She must have found out somehow, I had no knowledge that she would bring Cheri roots." Silver scarcely believed her, it fit together too much like a plan, but why did they want him? He was a hardly trained Meowth, an obviously weak one judging by his scent, and had no connections accept with his mate and a few less than friendly neighbors back in the forest.

Before he could think it through, he was herded through the building finally stopping at a large door, just barely smaller than the main entrance to the building, with two guards standing on either side. Upon seeing the group, they immediately shifted aside and led them into the office. The door shut behind them, leaving them apparently alone, until Silver saw movement in the back. A man was sitting rather importantly, his body tensed and back straightened in pose, writing rapidly on a piece of paper. He looked up, his piercing mahogany eyes resting expectantly on the pitiful group. His hair, an amaranth red, was slipped back with gel ending rather long for a male just above his shoulders. His face was broad and curved nicely, his arms and chest clearly shown he hadn't neglected the idea of working out in his free time. He wore a different clothing choice than the others he found outside which consisted of a long thin jacket that ended at his knees with black pants and running shoes. His jacket was black and at the top and ended with red with one arm stitched in red and the other in the usual black. Silver noticed a distinctive symbol he'd seen in several places around the area showing proudly on the chest of this man- one that looked like the anatomy of a volcano. "Yes, what is it?" he rasped, his voice was clearly disused and scratched deep in his lungs. The houndoom, suddenly looking very impressed with itself and dignified, stepped forward and placed the master ball in on the floor before stepping back. The man's eyes widened. "Is that the mew I wanted?" he asked, the deep stress in his voice shifting just a smidge to cheer. The houndoom didn't bark an agreement in its native tongue or even nod; it just stood tall and proud only barely suppressing a wag of her tail. "This is good," the man breathed in utter fascination, "this is exactly what I needed! You will be fed well tonight, my guards." He stepped forward and pat both the houndooms heads- the female looked utterly engulfed in pride yet the male houndoom looked like he was scarcely conscious of any touch at all- but his friendly gesture was short. "You're looking less than well, my friend," he growled looking at the male houndoom. Reaching into a cabinet in his desk, the man pulled out a syringe and a small bottle. Sucking the clear oozing stuff from the bottle into the syringe, the man stepped to the male houndoom and injected it into its scruff. Silver couldn't be sure if it was medicine to heal or if it was poison in that bottle. Turning, fear shot through Silver as the man rested his eyes on him next. "What's this mangy thing?" he grumbled. Again, none of the houndoom did anything to reply. "It doesn't look promising, but it seems that Nala has accepted him. I'll put him into his first training session in around a half hour," the man stopped to think for a bit. "Take him to room A12. I'll be there to assess him shortly." The houndooms nodded and turned, leaving the she-meowth and the Mew behind as the exited. A12 was apparently only a few rooms over with only one guard protecting the room this time. He looked down and looked a little confused- Silver guessed he wasn't expecting such a small Pokémon to be accepted here- then turned and unlocked the door. The houndooms walked in with the guard following until they approached a good sized cage- one big enough for at least ten more Meowths to live comfortably in. The door to the cage was unlocked and Silver was shooed in, with a loud bang of the iron door behind him sending an eerie silence through his fur.


	5. Chapter 5

The ground under paw was somewhat slippery and metallic- Silver knew after a few days the cage floor would begin to make his paws sore. He looked up and around the cage. It seemed smaller on the inside, possibly because the air seemed so thick and moist with breath. There was some sort of plastic see-through wall on one side with bars behind it, and another plastic wall behind that in order to stop escapees. All the other walls around him were dark metal with numerous scratches scoring the sides. In front of him were three other Pokémon, all of which seemed highly interested in the new comer. The first Pokémon was an Espeon. Although her body was thin and lithe, her lavender-fuchsia fur gave way to gray speckles across her muzzle and tail which gave away her age. Even so there was a hint of a spring in her creamy blue eyes, making Silver believe that the Espeon was strongly certain that age made no difference in her skills and abilities. The second Pokémon was a Charmander. Unlike the Espeon, the Charmander was clearly a young one with bright healthy skin and a flame on its tail burning with energy. Although it clearly had dignity and youth on its side, fear seemed to send shivers down its back which buffeted the spring in its tail fire. The third was a bundle of cinnabar colored fur- a vulpix. Silver was surprised to see this one was even younger than the Charmander, only a few weeks old he suspected, but it didn't hold the same determination as the Charmander despite its fear. Grief and terror gripped the tiny Vulpix like the claws of a Zapdos in waves, making Silver cringe a tad. The horror was clear to anybody, but on the outside the vulpix tried mostly to hide it, despite a few shivers rolling down its back.

"Hello," he muttered awkwardly. He didn't know these strangers, but maybe they knew more than he did about the building. He turned to the Espeon since it seemed the most collected and wisest of the bunch.

"Greetings traveler," she mewed with a silken honey voice- like Velvet. "My name is Aurora. And you are?"

Silver hesitated, "My names Silver" he whispered barely above an anxious whisper.

"Is that your birth given name or the name given by your trainer?"

Silver stumbled a bit before replying "it was my trainer given name." Aurora nodded with understanding beyond Silver could imagine. "My real name is Staraku," he offered.

She twitched her thin tail to the charmander beside her, "This is Champ. And the Vulpix doesn't have a name, so we call him Scrappy." Both looked less than thrilled about anything at the moment. "Make yourself at home," Aurora spoke after a while.

"Uhm, can I ask you a question?" he mewed.

"Who's stopping you?" Aurora confirmed as she began licking the dirt and dust out between her pads. Silver gulped the dryness from his throat, thinking through what he'd seen.

"Do you know anything about this building? What's it for and why am I here?"

Aurora didn't look up from her wash. "This is Team Magma's head quarters," she muttered disinterestedly. "You're here because recently, Team Magma has gotten all up in a fuss about getting new recruits to join them. They're trying to make some sort of army of Pokémon. Before you ask, I don't know why."

Silver blinked, he had heard the name Team Magma at some point- in fact a few times- but he never really understood what the words meant. "Who's team Magma?"

Aurora craned her neck without looking up and began dusting the fur on her shoulder with long strokes of her tongue. "Have you ever heard of Team Aqua or Team Rocket?" Memories washed through Silver, stinging his heart a bit, but he refused to show the nerve that had been hit.

"I know Team Rocket" he confirmed grimly.

"Team Magma is kind of like Team Rocket. The only difference is they have different ambitions. Team Aqua and Team Magma are sworn enemies. I don't know a whole lot about the story, but I hear Team Magma is trying to get their hands on some sort of super-powered legendary that can control the movement of Earth's platonic plates. I assume they're trying to get more Pokémon so they can beat that thing, and so they have some sort of defense against Team Aqua. I don't know as much about Team Aqua, but I hear they're trying to get some Pokémon that controls the ocean. So apparently they're enemies just because what the other wants something that contradicts each others' goals." Silver tried to suck all this in at once, but his mind still swam with endless questions.

"I saw them capture a mew this morning like it was routine. This legendary they're after must be one powerful Pokémon."

Aurora nodded, her eyes connecting to his. "I hear this legendary is super big, which is why it takes so much power to get it down. I think it's some sort of fire type, but I'm not entirely sure."

"What's this have to do with Team Rocket?" Silver added with far too much desperation in his voice.

"Almost nothing beyond sharing the word team in their names. Team Magma and Team Aqua are constantly at each other's throats, always spying on each other and battling each other and throwing each other around like it was their birth right. Team Rocket on the other hand seems to hardly notice the other two teams even exist. The truth is, Team Rocket has been going for much longer and has power far beyond Team Magma or Team Aqua could even dream of. The harsh reality is both Team Magma and Aqua realize Team Rocket could destroy them if they wanted too, so they try to stay out of their hair because of it. Team Rocket hasn't yet, I think, just because he can't be bothered to do it. In any case there's still high tension between the two, especially since both teams tend to accidently get in each other's ways even if not intentional. As far as Team Magma or Aqua are concerned, Team Rocket is just a rattlesnake in their desert that they've decided not to toy with and vice versa."

Silver thought this through. "Did you see the houndooms they have?" Aurora nodded. "Why do they seem so sick and energy zapped?" Aurora shrugged.

"Their names are Spike, Fire, Crunch, Flower, Cloud and Buster," she growled. "It sounds like you've met Buster and Flower. I don't rightly know what's wrong with Buster; I just know he ain't so right in the head as he used to be when he joined. Flower means to cure him if she can, but she knows Max could hardly give a hoot about Buster as long as he keeps up doing his duties. If he ever stops doing his duties, he will most likely be euthanized. Poor Flower has to deal with the grief of living with a zombie of a mate. She always seems to hold her head up high, but the hopelessness is obvious in her. She just pads after Buster, and he won't even look her in the eye for her dedication. It's sad really."

Silver shook his head, "Who's Max?"

"The Leader of Team Magma."

"And Nala? Who's Nala?"

Silver hoped she knew who Nala was. He wanted to know who 'approved' of him earlier to let him in. "Did you see a young she-meowth? She was probably in some sort of costume."

Aurora nodded slowly. "Sounds like her. Her birth given name is Sueku (Sweh-coo), you best remember that name. She would be Max's Pokémon. Nala is his prized possession; he treats her like a princess." She let out a snort of laughter. "You should see how the grunts treat her around here. If they so much as cut off her path, they know Max will be wearing their skin as a jacket the next day."

Silver tensed a little. "Does she treat you badly?"

Aurora shook her head. "She's a'right I guess. She scarcely notices us; I actually prefer it that way though. She can be a tad bit bossy, but mostly she tends to not even look in this direction. She just follows Max around like he's the greatest thing she's ever seen." Aurora finished washing her fur with a few more licks on her tail tip. "Do you want me to use Heal Bell on you? You look like you've seen better days."

Silver suddenly became aware of how horrible he must have looked. His fur was ruffled and standing on end, giving away how stressed he was. Sand and dirt had collected on him from the wind, and he hadn't had time to groom it out of his fur. Exhaustion still gripped his muscles despite the healing affects of the Cheri root, and he still felt rivers of fear roll over him from being in such a distant and unfamiliar place. Embarrassment singed his pelt, "if you want." Aurora closed her eyes and let the ruby gem on her forehead glow a deep crimson. Within moments a bubblegum-speckled light wafted off her still body like sound waves, leaving a trail of energy behind each pump of light. As soon as the light beams brushed past him, Silver felt the numbness from his legs instantly vanish, returning to normal strength. It had been as if the paralysis orb had never been activated. Champ and Scrappy also seemed to calm down and relax a bit, the exertion from their tensed muscles slowly disappearing. "Thanks" he breathed, "that helped tons."

Aurora nodded, her eyes squinted and stern. "How are your battling skills?" Silver was biting a stubborn tangle of fur out of his shoulder before admitting his lack of experience. Aurora seemed taken aback with her short fur standing on end. "W-what's the matter?" he stumbled over the words shakily.

"Nothing," she sighed, her face solemn. Silver suddenly became active in the conversation more than ever, his ears erect and tail twitching.

"What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?" he stuttered, fear coursing through him all over again.

Aurora shook her head, sadness bubbling over her pelt. "You'll know soon enough." Frustration surged through Silver, why was she being so secretive? "I noticed you smell a tad like Cheri berry roots," Aurora mewed slyly. Silver wasn't fooled by the sudden change of topic. His mind whirling, he thought back to the houndoom he met, the one that crushed the Paralysis orb under her paws.

"Do you know a houndoom with a scar across her left eye? She also has two scars across her muzzle, and its horn on its head is missing. The other horn is kind of cracked and beaten up? It was a female." Silver caught a brief flicker of shock in Aurora's eyes, before it passed almost instantly.

"Uhm, no," she muttered. There was uncertainty in her voice before she corrected herself. "I don't know any houndoom like that, unless one of the recent houndooms suddenly got badly wounded and I haven't heard of it yet for whatever reason. The only other female houndoom is Cloud. Was she pregnant?" Silver shook his head no. "I see. Must be new?" Although Aurora seemed to be desperately hiding something- something personal and emotional deep within- the turmoil seemed obvious in the way she twitched her tail and tensed her muscles. Silver continued with the subject, his eyes narrowed.

"She told me she had no connection with this building, yet she seemed to have an association with Nala. She captured me with a Paralysis orb and directly after, Nala gave me Cheri berry roots despite not having witnessed the scene. Yet the houndoom said Nala hadn't known about the paralysis orb." Aurora nodded slowly, her mind clearly somewhere else.

"She was probably telling the truth," she mewed barely audible for Silver to hear. "Nothing get's past Nala."

"It's time for the new recruit's first training session." A voice sounded distant and unclear in Silver's head. He opened his eyes and flicked his ears up, becoming conscious of the four grunts that had entered the room somewhere beyond what the cage was allowing him to see. He quickly jumped to his paws, realizing just who the grunts were referring to. He turned to Aurora who had lifted her head warily to look toward the direction of the voices, although unable to see them. "Aurora!" he whispered with urgency in his voice, "what are they going to do?" At first Silver feared she hadn't heard him, but after a few moments that felt like ages she turned her head and stared bleakly at him.

"They're going to take you to the training room," she whispered tartly.

"But why?" he demanded, fur sticking up on end. By the time he had asked, the grunts were already unlocking the door.

"We all had to do it. They want to see what level you're at before they decide what to do with you." After the words had left her mouth, the steel doors opened and two men casually walked in and searched the cage with disinterested eyes. The other two men were tensed in case any Pokémon tried to escape under their nose while the doors were unlatched. Silver smothered himself into a corner, fear numbing his muscles. _What am I going to do now_? One of the men turned warily and became aware of Silver's location, followed by tapping his partners shoulder to warn him. They both turned and cornered him, every instinct in Silver's body telling him to extend his claws and slash the closest thing that resembled flesh. Before he could decide, the men roped something plastic around his neck and pulled him forward. Every muscle in his body tensed, his claws scraping against the cold floor, he was forced into the other grunts' hands where a rope was shoved in his mouth and tied around his neck. After biting or running was made impossible, the grunts pulled him forward despite his empty protests. After they had entered the hallway Silver began to accept there was no escaping, especially since he only knew one Pokémon attack unlike the standard four. He was towed into a room unknown to him- one long yet skinny. It reached far to the end where a red door with a volcano was painted in the middle. On each side there were rows of metal chairs spaced perfectly apart with a number of buttons and space to write in front of them. The chairs were on either side with just enough space to walk through in between to the door on the other side. There was something somewhat like glass- a see-through plastic like in the cage- slanted in front of the chairs. A large battlefield was on either side, both battlefields identical. Silver was hauled toward a dark slight of stairs directly right to the door they had entered, which steeped low into a brand new door which was coated in a grayish silver. Once inside, the area seemed to be cruelly dug out of the earth with metal bars directly in front of him. The ground was uneven and sore against his pads under paw, and the only light source came from the battlefield beyond the bars. He crept forward, observing the battlefield which seemed to cover all Pokémon types that may have to battle in it. One side had fresh clean ice rubbed smooth with a large pool in the center. Silver guessed the pool was probably much larger and traveled underneath the battlefield beyond his line of vision. The middle was a standard battlefield with short grass growing feebly within the perfect rectangle. White lines had been painted to determine the middle, but the white box where the trainers would be standing wasn't there. The ground around the main battlefield was dirt and dust with some rocks jutting out here and there. The room seemed to go up for miles, perfect for flying types. Some platforms jutted across the wall with one cave carved into the rock for whatever reason necessary. Silver lowered himself to the ground and noticed a small edge of the plastic glass was visible from the tiny prison. _Someone is going to be observing me from up there, and they're going to be taking notes,_ he realized. Minutes that felt like moments passed before the rough bars in front of him began to shiver and shake. The bars began to shiver into life, lifting with considerable effort to rise to the heavens. Rust seemed to buffet its progress, but eventually the old bars had lifted enough for Silver to shimmy into the light of the battle field.

Taking nervous, cautious steps, Silver slowly walked into the field and opened his mouth to scent the place. The salty fresh taste of the water rose in sheets around the area, with the frosty tang of the chilled air from the ice coming as a close second. The cut grass was sour and strong, telling Silver that it had only recently been cut to size with small particles of dust and grit clinging to the air. Movement flickered in his vision, causing Silver to turn back to the observation room above. He noticed Max, walking with authority to a lone chair in the center. All other chairs were empty accept one or two being taken by some grunts who held clipboards firmly in their hands. A flick of beige fur told Silver that Nala was also watching, to his surprise. A small piece of technology lit to life under the observation room, making Silver blink against its bright red color. Silver stared at it for a moment, anxiety scraping across him like claws across his pelt. The light turned lemon yellow as understanding nipped at Silver. _This is it_, he thought, _when the light turns green then the battle will start_. But he looked around and saw no opponent to battle. So what did they expect from him? The light turned chartreuse, and a loud long beep sounded. Silver stood rigid, vaguely aware that he was beginning to sink slowly to the ground in a scared lump. Bars began to rise somewhere above his head, making Silver's heart pound so fast that Silver feared a heart attack to take his life before the Pokémon had even emerged from the shadowy depths of the cage. He lifted his eyes to the observation desk to see hot, expectant eyes piercing through him like tiny endless daggers raining from the sky. _I can't be a coward anymore_; he thought anxiously, _I have to win this battle for my own sake. _

With hostility smoldering in its large Alice blue eyes, Silver's opponent emerged slowly from its own prison. A voice in Silver's head whispered in his ear, "Fight with your heart Silver. I'll always be watching you, watching you grow into a strong Pokémon like I promised. Don't let me down; don't let my efforts be wasted."


End file.
